Infantino says VAR means the end of offside goals

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Goals scored from offside positions will be a thing of the past, at least in competitions where video assistant referees (VARs) are used, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Friday as he hailed the success of the technology at the World Cup in Russia.

Infantino, dressed in a red volunteer’s uniform, also declared the tournament the “best World Cup ever” in an hour-long news conference.

Infantino said that, despite initial fears, the VAR system had worked well.

“This is progress, this is better than the past,” he said. “VAR is not changing football, it is cleaning football, making it more honest and transparent and helping referees to make the right decisions.”

“The goal scored from an offside position is finished in football, at least in football with VAR,” he added.

“You will never see any more a goal scored in an offside position, it’s finished because either you are or are not offside, these are clear decisions.”

Of the overall tournament, he said: “For a couple of years, I was saying it would be the best World Cup ever, today I can say that with more conviction.”